Wright On!

An end panel from the living room of Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House

WED 9/10

In the history of modern architecture, no name looms as large as Frank Lloyd Wright. One of several prominent architects to come out of Chicago in the late 19th Century -- after that whole city burned down in 1871, it had a sudden use for lots of architects -- Wright tried to take as little as possible from old European styles in an effort to come up with something uniquely American. One could use the cliché that Wright's results exceeded his expectations, except that Wright was a notoriously high-minded individual when it came to his own work. So, really, his success probably came as no surprise to the man himself.

In any case, a few examples of Wright's work form the centerpiece of the Boca Raton Museum of Art's (Mizner Park, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton) latest exhibit, "Windows of the Darwin D. Martin House." Constructed between 1903 and 1907, the Dwight D. Martin House in Buffalo, New York, was one of Wright's most important early works. The exhibit takes the windows of this house, known for their precise geometric designs, and places them in an area approximating their distance from one another in the house, so that observers may get a feel for Wright's original intentions.

"The Language of Sculpture," a collection of Jorge Jiménez Deredia's marble and bronze sculptures inspired by the abstraction of pre-Columbian art, and "Concrete Places in a Landscape of Illusions," an exhibition highlighting the architecture of Wright disciple Donald Singer, also open on September 10. All three exhibits are on display through November 9. Call 561-392-2500. -- Dan Sweeney

SAT 9/6

Rock Around the Clock

In his day, Bill Haley was considered "rebellious." Today, folks who argued over the validity of that statement with their parents are quarreling with their kids over all this immoral metal and rap music. Whatever. If you've grown sick of these arguments, maybe you need to step back into a simpler time with the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival fundraiser, "A Salute to Bill Haley Sock Hop." From 8 p.m. to midnight, you can get down with the Original Comets and the Soul Providers at the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum (1527 SW First Ave., Fort Lauderdale). Participants are encouraged to dress up for a night of old-time fashion styles, old-time cars, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Tickets cost $75 in advance, $85 at the door. Call 561-735-9902. -- Dan Sweeney

Broward Community College breathes life into Latin art -- or is it vice versa?

"Contemporary Latin American Art," Broward Community College South Campus' (7200 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines) fourth art exhibition dedicated to this subject, kicks off Thursday. First, there is a pair of Latin-art oriented events. At 7 p.m., Raúl Oyuela, director of the Latin American Art Museum, presents a lecture on (what else?) Latin-American art in Lecture Hall 133, Building 69, of BCC's South Campus. The exhibition's opening reception takes place an hour later in the South Campus' art gallery, which is also located in Building 69. The exhibition, which runs through October 24, is cosponsored by Oyuela's museum. The Latin American Art Museum, located amid all the artsy trappings of Miami's Calle Ocho Art Walk, is the first museum in Florida designed to promote established and emerging Latin-American, Caribbean, and Spanish contemporary artists. So BCC's exhibition only adds to a museum whose concept seems well past due. Call 954-201-8895. -- Dan Sweeney

FRI 9/5

Dynamite with a Laser Beam

Laser light shows are the kind of event you can tolerate in small doses. The well-trodden terrain of Pink Floyd and the Doors being blasted over crude images of geometric shapes can entertain for only so long before the drugs wear off and you realize where you are. But what if you could enjoy a laser show so replete with unbridled debauchery and hedonistic fervor that you don't even need drugs? The South Florida Science Museum (4801 Dreher Trl. N., West Palm Beach) offers a "Rockin' '80s Laser Show" every Friday night, featuring the music of Ratt, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, and other bands that misspell their names. Show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $4. Call 561-832-1988. -- Audra Schroeder

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